Goaltender Carl Wetzel's professional hockey résumé reads like a road map. Wetzel suited up for 16 different clubs in 14 different cities over his fifteen-year career. He also found time to play a season in Austria as well as three separate stints with the United States National team and twice represented his country at the World Championships.

Wetzel's nomadic career began playing Junior hockey in Hamilton but he played a single game as a pro during his final season there. Over the next three years he played for five different clubs before putting his career on hold to fulfill his military obligations.

Two years would pass before he returned to the ice, though he only played six games in his first year back. However, two of those contests were in the National Hockey League. Wetzel made two appearances in goal for the Detroit Red Wings but was victimized four times in just thirty-two minutes of play.

The next season was spent in the minors, then Wetzel joined the National team in 1966 and played in his first World Championships. Despite the fact that the U.S. squad finished fifth in the tournament, Wetzel was named to the tournament All-Star team. A trade to the expansion Minnesota North Stars lured him back to professional hockey in June of 1967.

Wetzel played five games for the North Stars and was able to register his only NHL win while also adding a tie to his career statistics. That season in the minors Wetzel backstopped the Rocheseter Americans to a Calder Cup championship. When he spent all of the 1968-69 campaign back in the minors, Wetzel returned to the National Team for the 1969-70 season. After two years with the Nats and a second World Championship appearance he elected to continue his career in Europe. Wetzel signed on with Kitzbuhel of the Austrian League but after just one year there he was lured back by a contract offer from the upstart World Hockey Association.

Wetzel's final season as a pro was spent back in Minnesota, this time with their WHA franchise, the Fighting Saints. The Saints goaltending duties were split between Jack McCarten and Mike Curran with Wetzel playing just a single game. Though he was tagged with a loss in his final start, Wetzel played well giving up just three goals.

REGULAR SEASON

PLAYOFFS

Season

Club

League

GP

W

L

T

SO

Avg

GP

W

L

T

SO

Avg

1956-57

Hamilton Tiger Cubs

OHA-Jr.

48

24

22

2

3

3.48

4

1

3

0

0

3.25

1957-58

Hamilton Tiger Cubs

OHA-Jr.

50

26

17

7

1

3.46

15

8

6

1

0

3.93

1958-59

Hamilton Tiger Cubs

OHA-Jr.

25

0

4.26

1958-59

Edmonton Flyers

WHL

1

0

1

0

0

7.00

1959-60

Omaha Knights

IHL

62

1

4.37

1960-61

Spokane Comets

WHL

5

0

5

0

0

4.97

1960-61

Indianapolis Chiefs

IHL

52

0

3.88

1960-61

Fort Wayne Komets

IHL

8

3

3

0

0

3.25

1961-62

Sudbury Wolves

EPHL

61

25

26

10

0

3.74

5

1

4

0

0

6.00

1962-63

0

1963-64

San Francisco Seals

WHL

1964-65

Detroit Red Wings

NHL

2

0

1

0

0

7.50

1964-65

Pittsburgh Hornets

AHL

4

1

3

0

0

5.23

1965-66

Houston Apollos

CPHL

51

21

24

6

4

3.38

1965-66

Quebec Aces

AHL

1

0

1

0

0

6.00

1966-67

United States

Nat-Tm

12

0

3.17

1966-67

United States

WEC-A

7

3

3

1

2

3.29

1967-68

Minnesota North Stars

NHL

5

1

3

1

0

4.01

1967-68

Memphis South Stars

CPHL

20

8

9

2

0

3.34

1967-68

Rochester Americans

AHL

10

3

3

1

1

3.39

4

2

1

0

0

2.20

1968-69

Cleveland Barons

AHL

2

1

0

0

1

2.25

1968-69

Memphis South Stars

CHL

39

0

4.48

1969-70

United States

Nat-Tm

17

0

1.94

1969-70

Rochester Mustangs

USHL

4

0

3.75

1970-71

United States

Nat-Tm

1970-71

United States

WEC-A

8

1

6

0

0

5.70

1971-72

KAC Kitzbuhel

Austria

44

4

3.00

1972-73

Minnesota Fighting Saints

WHA

1

0

1

0

0

3.00

NHL Totals

7

1

4

1

0

4.38

WEC-A All-Star Team (1967) Named Best Goaltender at WEC-A (1967)

Served as spare goaltender for San Francisco (WHL) while completing compulsory military service, 1963-64. Claimed by Montreal (Quebec-AHL) from Detroit in Reverse Draft, June 9, 1965. Traded to Minnesota by Montreal for cash, June 7, 1967. Loaned to Toronto (Rochester-AHL) by Minnesota with the trade of Murray Hall, Ted Taylor, Len Lunde, Don Johns and Duke Harris for J.P. Parise and Milan Marcetta, December 23, 1967. Signed as a free agent by Minnesota (WHA), January 23, 1973.